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1940 Schwinn Cantilever Autocycle resto

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bobcycles

Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Here's a neat old Schwinn that went through a multitude of owners and folklore over the years... It started
out as a Blue bicycle but at some point long long ago was repainted a sort of "gun metal" grey color. For quite
some time due to the patina and sort of authentic original look, it was thought to be an odd special order color
in this grey metallic with red accents. I actually owned this bicycle at one point, and it really did go around and
around in some Schwinn fan circles fooling many of us in its "grey" state.
Sadly, it ended up falling into the hands a 'not so conscientious' care taker
and the bicycle was blown apart and sold in bit and pieces on Ebay. A happy ending tho as
a friend of mine south of here, noticed the various parts auctions and stepped up to the plate and bid to win most of it
to keep it together and a resurrection! Some months back I took on the job of bringing the bicycle back to life as it might have appeared new back in
1940. Here are some pix of the finished product. A very cool 1 year only model, now in a nice collection down south in Southern Calif.



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Oh my heavens! Really, that's the same piece? I'm floored Bob.
 
Wild stuff. Makes you wonder over the years how many original-to-the-bike parts our bikes retain and how many are "like" replacements. With many of these bikes reaching 80+ years a lot can happen in that time!
Accidents back in the day and financial incentives to part out bikes today have a lot to play into this.
 
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